President Shimon
Peres welcomed the opening of a leading academic institution of
international standard in the Galilee, and said: "Nazareth is the
largest Arab city in Israel, the city where Jesus was born. It is a city
with a commitment to spiritual values ​​and is only symbolic that the
branch of the University of Texas for students of all faiths be
established in Nazareth. The establishment of the Peace Campus of the
Texas A&M University in Nazareth is a groundbreaking investment in
Israel which will reduce the gaps that exist in higher education, while
preserving co-existence in an atmosphere of academic research that meets
international standards."

Minister of Education and Chairman of
the Council for Higher Education Shay Piron welcomed the move and said:
"The establishment of a magnificent institution of higher learning in an
Arab city is important news for Israeli society and for the Arab public
in Israel. An educational institution that accepts everyone equally is
an indispensable tool for achieving domestic and regional peace, and is
another important step in the integration of Israeli Arabs into Israeli
society."

The Peace Campus of Texas A&M University in
Nazareth will provide thousands of advanced degrees and higher education
provided by American and international lecturers to Jews, Christians
and Muslims from Israel and around the world, and will serve as an
effective tool to reduce gaps in higher education and create jobs. Texas A&M University
is the sixth largest university in the United States with a budget of
$3.3 billion, of which more than $780 million is designated for
research. It is comprised of 11 universities, nine agencies and a Health
Science Center, and educates more than 120,000 students.

The
Memorandum of Understanding of the agreement was signed on Wednesday,
October 23, 2013 at the President's Residence in Jerusalem by Texas
Governor Education Minister Rick Perry, Education Minister Shai Piron,
Chancellor of Texas A&M University Prof. John Sharp, Chairman of the
Planning and Budget Committee of the Council for Higher Education Prof.
Manuel Trajtenberg, and CHE director-general Dr. Avital Stein.

Texas
Governor Rick Perry: "Israel and the University of Texas are a great
match, built on family values, commitment and tradition - those very
values ​​upon which the university will be based. We view the Nazareth
campus as a means of sustaining peace and understanding between
cultures. We want to see students and faculty from a variety of
religions and nationalities in our classrooms where they will have the
opportunity to learn about the world and its possibilities."

Texas
A&M University Chancellor John Sharp: "We have been working for
years to promote this project, and it is an achievement of which we are
very proud. We are committed to make this university one of the world's
best international universities, open to all."